Max Verstappen’s Mental Judgment Questioned Before Chaos Unfolded

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko raised concerns about Max Verstappen’s decision-making following his controversial crash with George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix. The incident occurred after a late safety car on Lap 61, with Verstappen running on hard compound tyres—the only fresh set he had—while most rivals, including Russell, switched to faster soft tyres. This left Verstappen vulnerable as the race restarted for the final laps at the Circuit de Catalunya.

As the green flag waved, Charles Leclerc immediately challenged Verstappen, overtaking him for third place. Russell then made an aggressive move into Turn 1, braking late but overshooting, which forced Verstappen to swerve. Although the stewards ruled Verstappen didn’t need to surrender his position, Red Bull’s pit wall recalled a similar scenario in Saudi Arabia that resulted in Verstappen receiving a 10-second penalty.

Following team orders, Verstappen slowed briefly out of Turn 4 on Lap 64 to let Russell pass. Suddenly, he accelerated again heading into Turn 5, colliding with Russell’s Mercedes. The move sparked debate, with some fans and analysts suggesting it looked intentional and deserved a black flag; instead, stewards handed a 10-second penalty, dropping Verstappen from fifth to tenth at the finish.

Verstappen described the incident as a “misjudgment” when questioned after the race. The next day, he admitted on social media that his move was wrong and shouldn’t have happened, though he stopped short of offering a full apology.

Helmut Marko expressed puzzlement over Verstappen’s action on Austrian television, highlighting telemetry data that showed Verstappen initially lifting off the throttle before suddenly accelerating again, causing confusion within Red Bull.

Marko revealed the team debated instructing Verstappen to yield to avoid a costly penalty. He admitted he was unsure what caused Verstappen’s abrupt acceleration, saying, “I don’t know what that error of judgment was, or what was going on in his head.” The incident escalated in the final laps, turning a competitive points battle into a post-race controversy.

The penalty affected Red Bull’s Constructors’ Championship points. Verstappen sits third in the 2025 driver rankings with 137 points, while the team has 144. Russell’s Mercedes finished ahead after the collision, and the aftermath continues to be widely discussed among fans and pundits. Debate remains over whether the stewards issued the correct penalty and if Verstappen deserved harsher sanctions.

The Spanish Grand Prix also featured strong performances from McLaren and Ferrari. The next race, the Canadian Grand Prix, offers Verstappen and Red Bull an opportunity to recover from this rare setback and regain momentum in the championship fight.